Former UT players lead suit against NCAA

AUSTIN - Claiming the NCAA "was fully aware of" and "concealed the dangers of" repeated head impacts in football, an attorney for former Texas player Julius Whittier has filed a class-action lawsuit asking for up to $50 million in damages.

Whittier, who in 1970 became the first black letterman in UT football history, is the lead plaintiff in the suit, which was filed by attorney Dwight Jefferson in federal court Monday.

Jefferson, who also played for the Longhorns and is a retired state district judge who now works as an attorney in Houston, said the goal of the lawsuit is to make a fund available for the supplemental needs of former players who have been diagnosed with latent brain injury or disease.

Mike Finger has worked for the Express-News since 1999, writing about the Texas Longhorns, the Big 12, the NBA and the NFL before becoming a sports columnist. He's covered 13 Spurs postseasons, six Final Fours and more than a dozen college bowl games.

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